# Who was Elisha Gray?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-elisha-gray/42555>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 24, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-elisha-gray/42555 "2000-11-24T18:13:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![melchizedek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@melchizedek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melchizedek)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-elisha-gray/42555/1 "2000-11-24T18:13:26Z")

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My Grandfather used to say he had as much luck as Elisha Gray (sp?)  
I couldn’t work out if it meant he was lucky or unlucky because I never heard of Elisha.

Can someone put me out of my misery and help me finally understand my Grandfather ( 15 years too late!!!)

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**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-elisha-gray/42555/2 "2000-11-24T18:25:46Z")

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[http://www.google.com/search?q="elisha+gray"](http://www.google.com/search?q=%22elisha+gray%22)

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-elisha-gray/42555/3 "2000-11-24T18:28:09Z")

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It means bad luck. Elish Gray was an inventor who submitted a document declaring his intention to file a patent application for a telephone, only two hours after Alexander Graham Bell filed an actual patent application for the telephone. Litigation ensued, and Bell won.

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**Author:** ![melchizedek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@melchizedek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melchizedek)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-elisha-gray/42555/4 "2000-11-24T18:36:46Z")

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Thanks for that… poor bugger!!!